The present invention relates to a tool holder, a tool, and a work station with a tool holder and the tool attached thereto.
In many areas of industry, it is essential that tools be attached to their tool holders in a precise and secure manner. Work stations consisting of a tool holder and a tool attached thereto must often be positioned to within fractions of a millimeter so that the operations in question can be carried out with sufficient accuracy.
In the area of the pharmaceutical industry, a large number of work stations following one after the other is required for the production of blister packs, for example. Because the tools must often be designed to accommodate different blister pack formats, it is necessary to replace the tools in accordance with the specifications in question.
For this purpose, there are many different ways in which tools can be attached to tool holders in a manner which makes it possible to replace the tools and to minimize the effort required for adjustments.
An example of an attachment mechanism of this type is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,584,687. Here a cone is formed in the surface of the tool. A clamping bolt is acting on this cone, which clamping bolt comprises a pressure surface corresponding to the shape of the cone. This guarantees a secure connection between the tool holder and the tool, but it is still possible to replace the tools relatively easily. Certain problems involving tolerances, however, have not been completely solved.